Rotary internal-combustion engine.



J. S. STEWART. ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16, 1909.

Patented May 10, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1. l

INVENTOR J. s. STEWART. ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED IBB.16, 1909.

I. INVENTOR Ja'meafif iemzfi a mama-sass? 2.

' ATTORNEYS Patented May 10, 1910.

J. S. STEWART.- ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.16,1909.

s SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented may 10,

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win/55s ATTbRf/EYS JAMES SAMIEL STEWART, F DIAMONDVILLE, WYOMING.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROTARY INTERN AIL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification or Letters ram.

Application filed February 16, 1909. Serial No. 478,147.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, Janus S. STEWART, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Diamondville, in the. county of Uinta and State of Wyoming, have invented 'a new and Improved Rotary Internal-Combustion Engine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved rotary internal combustion engine, which is simple and durable in construction, composed of comparatively few parts, and not liable easily to get out abutment following'the piston at a higher rate of speed than that of the piston, and the compressed charge is finally ignited to give an impulse to the piston while the abutment is stationary at the time.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the improvement on the line 11 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a cross section of the same on the line 33 of Fig. 1 and showing the abutment and piston in position during the suction period; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the abutment; Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the'same on the line 55 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a cross sectionof the improvement showing the piston and abutment in position during the compressing period; and Fig. 7 1s a similar view of the same showing the piston and abutment in position during theexhaust period.

In the cylinder A is mounted to rotate rically opposite ends in peripheral contact with the inner surface of the cylinder A, and the said piston B is secured or formed on a main shaft 0 extending through the heads A, A of the cylinder, as plainly illustrated in Fig. 1.'- The shaft 0 is provided at one outer end with a fly wheel C and a pulley or other means (not shown), for transmitting the rotary motion of the shaft to other'machinery. The shaft 0 is also preferably made hollow for circulating a coolin medium through the same. In the cylin er A is mounted to reciprocate intermittently an abutment D having its diametrically opposite ends in contact with the inner surface of the cylinder A, and the said abutment D is secured on annular flanges D, D mounted to rotate loosely on the shaftG, the flange D having a hub D extending through the cylinder head A to the outside thereof, as plainly indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. On the outer end of the hub D is secured a ratchet -Wheel E engaged by a spring-pressed pawl E fulcrumed on an arm E mounted to swing loosely on the head of the ratchet wheel E, and the said arm E is pivotally connected by a pitman F with a crank arm .G, secured on one end of a counter-shaft H, carrying on its other end a pinion I in mesh Patented May 10, 1910. i

with a gear wheel I secured on the main shaft G. The proportion between the pin-' ion I and the gear wheel I is such that the countershaft H makes four revolutions during each revolution of the shaft C, and consequently the pawl and ratchet mechan1sm connecting the countershaft H with the abutment D imparts an intermittent rotary motion to the abutment D, so that the latter periodically makes a quarter turn, but durmg its turning movement it travels at a higher rate of speed than the piston B, so that the abutment D approaches the piston B during the movement of the abutment. 3

The cylinder A is provided in diametrically opposite points with inlet ports a, a, and adjacent thereto wlth exhaust ports I), b, and the inlet ports a, a are connected by pipes 'J, J with a carbureter Ker other means for sup lying an explosive mixture to be drawn-in, compressed, ignited and burned in the cylinder A, as hereinafter more fully explained. The exhaust ports I), b are connected with exhaust ipes L, L, for con' ducting the products of combustion to a suitable place of discharge.

The abutment D when in lts position of rest during the explosion period, is held against return movement by abutting against spring-pressed latch bolts N, N, mounted to slide m'the wall of the cylinder A, and beveled at their inner ends to'allow the piston B and the abutment D to readily pass the said latch bolts during their forward movement in the direction of the arrow at, as indicated in Figs. 3, 6 and 7 Igniting devices 0 and O of any approved construction are connected with the interior of the cylinder A, somewhat in advance of the latch bolts N, N, as plainly indicated in Fig. 2.

The piston B as well as the abutment D are provided with suitable packing devices to prevent leakage of the motive agent.

The supply pipes J, J are provided with suitable check valves to prevent back firing into the carburetor, and check valves are also arranged in the exhaust pipes L, L to prevent the exhaust gases from returning into the cylinder A. v

The operation is as follows: When the several parts are in the position illustrated in Fig. 3 then the abutment D is at rest and the advancing piston B causes a suction in the spaces between the piston B and the.

abutment D, so that explosive charges are drawn into the cylinder A by way of the inlet ports a, a. The abutment D during this period of rest closes the exhaust ports 6, 6 (see Fig. 3), and after the charges have been drawn in lnto the cylinder A the abutment D is caused to rotate so as to follow the piston B (see Fig. 6), and as the abutment travels at a higher rate of speed it is evident 7 new charges are drawn into the cylinder A latch bolts N and. N.

ton B.

that the charges between the piston B and the abutment D are compressed,'the piston B finally passing the igniting devices 0,0 at the time the-abutment Dhas just passed the latch bolts -'N, N (see Fig. 2), and at i this time ignition takes place through the igniting devices 0 and 0, so that the charges are burned and an impulse is given to the piston'B in the direction of the arrow '00. Return movement of the abutment D is prevented by the latter abutting against the Now as the piston B advances it finally uncovers the exhaust ports 6, b so that the products of combustion can escape from the cylinder A by way of the said uncovered exhaust ports 6, b, and at this time the abutment D starts on its next rotary motion (see Fig. 7), andin doing so, completely drives out the products of combustion contained in the cylinder through the exhaust ports I), b, and the abutment D comes to rest Opposite the exhaust ports I), b.

so as to close the same, as indicated in Fig. 3. As the piston B now advancesfrom the now stationary abutment D it is evident that and then the abutment D starts on its next movement, to compress thecharges, as above explained, and finally another explosion takes place at the time the piston and the abutment reach the osition shown inlFig. 2, and another impu se is given to the pis- From the foregoing it will be seen that by charges are compressed during the time the abutment is moving and the compressed charges are ignited and burned during the next position of rest of the abutment D, and an exhaust takes place during the next travel of the abutment, to completely drive out all the products of combustion from the cylinder A.

It is understood that when the engine is running and the countershaft H is rotated from the main shaft C, then during the upstroke of the arm E of the pawl and ratchet mechanism, the pawl E glides over the teeth of the ratchet wheel E and hence the abutment D remains stationary during this time, and when-the arm E swings downward the pawl E carries the ratchet wheel E along, thus giving a quarter turn to the abutment D. 1

The engine shown and described is simple and durable in construction, and'utilizes the motive agent to the fullest advantage, to rotate the main shaft G at a comparatively high rate of speed.

It will be observed froman inspection of Fig. 3, that at the beginning of the suction stroke of the piston B the abutment D is in such position that. the link F is in alinement with the crank shaft G," that is the crank shaft is on the dead center, and retains the abutment in fixed position, until a further rotation of the shaft H changes the relative position'of the parts. Since the space between the abutment and the piston is in communication with theatmosphere there is no suction exerted on the abutment,

and no tendency of the abutment to follow the piston except possibly at the very beginning of the stroke, and it is prevented from such movement at the said beginning by the position of the parts above described,

1. A rotary internal combustionengine,

comprising a cylinder having an inlet and an exhaust, a main shaft passing centrally through the cylinder, a revoluble piston in the said cylinder secured onthe said shaft, an abutment mounted to rotate intermittently in the said cylinder, a countershaft,

- with the said counters aft, and a pawl and ratchet mechanism connecting the said countershaft with the said abutment imparting an intermittent rotary motion tothe said abutment.

2. A rotary combustion engine comprising a cylinder, a shaft journa ed therein, a rotating piston secured to the shaft, a rotating abutment journaled thereon, a con- 5 nection between the shaft and the abutment for imparting an intermittent motion thereto and at a greater speed than the speed of the piston, whereby to compress the charge, means for igniting the charge when so com- 10 pressed, and spring latches against which JAMES SAMIEL STEWART.

Witnesses: PHILIP SULLIVAN,

HENRY J. PETERSON.

rests during the ignition of 

